RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Yasser Al-Misehal officially resigned as the president of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) on Monday, June 29, 2026. The decision, announced via a formal statement on the social media platform X, concludes his seven-year tenure at the head of Saudi football and marks the initiation of immediate structural changes across the national football program.
Al-Misehal stated that he accepted full accountability for the national team’s early departure from the FIFA World Cup 2026™. The Green Falcons were officially eliminated from the tournament on Saturday, June 27, 2026, following a 2–1 defeat against Cape Verde at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The result left Saudi Arabia at the bottom of Group H with one point, following an initial 4–0 loss to Spain and a 1–1 draw against Uruguay.
In his departure statement, Al-Misehal confirmed that procedures will begin immediately to open nominations for a new board of directors in accordance with the federation’s legal regulations. He expressed formal gratitude to King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Minister of Sport Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal for their institutional support throughout his administration.
The organizational transition has been met with positive, forward-looking proposals from prominent sports officials looking toward long-term regional objectives. Former Al-Hilal president Prince Abdul Rahman bin Musaid publicly emphasized that this moment should be utilized to build a fresh, long-term national team development program. Technical analysts and football commentators noted that the restructuring presents a direct opportunity to optimize domestic playing time and technical pathways for young homegrown players within the expanding Saudi Pro League, establishing a solid competitive foundation ahead of the AFC Asian Cup and the Kingdom’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup 2034™.